Douluo: One man returns, Fan Tianyin smashes Tang San to death

An invisible pressure permeated the air, as if the city itself was scrutinizing everyone who stepped into its territory.

Lu Yu's black robe swayed gently in the breeze, and his lowered eyelids revealed a calm yet sharp gaze.

He had long heard of this Trial City—a trial ground specifically established for Soul Masters, where danger and opportunity coexist, and only by passing the tests at seven trial points can one leave safely.

He took a deep breath, feeling the slow flow of soul power within his body, but his heart remained calm.

No matter what lies ahead, he has long been accustomed to facing challenges head-on.

"Hey kid, watch out for a wicked woman's heart."

A rough voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting Lu Yu's thoughts.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on a burly man.

The man was nearly two meters tall, with dark skin and bulging muscles. He wore a simple gray Soul Master robe and had a heavy warhammer hanging at his waist. Several deep Soul Runes were engraved on the hammerhead, which faintly exuded a dangerous aura.

The man was staring at Lu Yu with a scrutinizing look in his eyes. Although his tone was a reminder, it carried a lecturing quality.

Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly displeased.

He was no naive newcomer, and this condescending reminder instinctively made him somewhat resistant.

"Who are you?"

His voice was calm, with a hint of detachment.

The man grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but he didn't seem angry at Lu Yu's coldness.

"My name is Chen Zitai, a Soul Master from the Eastern Region."

"You look unfamiliar; this must be your first time in Lieshan Trial City. Let me warn you, this isn't a safe place. Be wary of everyone, especially those who hide daggers behind their smiles."

"Eastern Region?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and his tone softened a bit.

He thought of his good friend Wang Sheng, the brother who had fought alongside him, who had settled in the Eastern Region a few years ago.

Wang Shengxin once mentioned that the Eastern Region is vast and sparsely populated, with a unique Soul Master culture and numerous powerful individuals.

Lu Yu had always been curious about that place, but he had not yet had the opportunity to go there.

"What, you've been to the Eastern Regions?"

Seeing that Lu Yu's expression was strange, Chen Zitai's eyes flashed with interest, and he pressed for an answer.

Lu Yu shook his head and said calmly, "I have never been there, but I have heard of it because a friend of mine has settled in the Eastern Region."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Zitai, and tentatively asked, "Why would a Soul Master from the Eastern Region come to Lieshan Trial City?"

Chen Zitai laughed heartily, patted his chest, and said boldly, "The Trial City doesn't care where you come from. As long as you have the strength and the courage, anyone can come and try! However..."

He lowered his voice, leaned closer, and whispered, "Since you're new here, I advise you to be careful."

This trial city has seven trial sites, each of which is extremely dangerous.

In recent years, less than 30% of Soul Masters have managed to leave alive.

They were either exceptionally talented scions of powerful families or individuals recommended by influential figures; none of them were pushovers.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu frowned slightly and pondered, "Seven trial sites? What are the specifics?"

Seeing that Lu Yu was interested, Chen Zitai opened up and explained in detail: "These seven trial sites are all different, and the content of the assessments varies greatly."

Some tests your control over your soul power, some test your compatibility with your martial soul, and some are purely based on your combat strength.

In short, none of the places were easy.

If you wish to leave the Trial City, you must pass the assessment at at least one trial site, otherwise…

He paused, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes, "We can only be trapped and die in this city."

Lu Yu listened quietly, his mind racing as he analyzed Chen Zitai's words.

Trapped to death in the Trial City? This sounded a bit exaggerated, but he could sense the seriousness in Chen Zitai's tone, which was clearly not an exaggeration.

"There's one more thing,"

Chen Zitai continued, his voice even lower, "Even if you haven't offended anyone in the Trial City, you might not be safe once you leave the city."

Most of the Soul Masters here have powerful forces backing them up.

You've offended someone who seems insignificant, but might actually be a direct descendant of some powerful sect or aristocratic family. They might come after you later, and you'll have no one to turn to for help.

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes, secretly on guard.

Although Chen Zitai's words were straightforward, they pointed out another layer of danger in the Trial City—the complexity of human nature.

He nodded slightly to express his gratitude, "Thank you for reminding me, I will pay attention."

Chen Zitai waved his hand and said generously, "No need to thank me. I just thought you looked good and was just giving you a heads-up."

By the way, which trial site are you planning to go to?

Lu Yu pondered for a moment, recalling the information he had previously gathered about the Trial City.

Of the seven trial points, the fourth trial point focuses on "one's own strength."

While the core assessment content is not low in danger, the difficulty is still within a manageable range compared to other trial sites.

More importantly, this is a perfect match for his abilities.

He raised his head, his gaze resolute. "The fourth trial point."

Chen Zitai was taken aback, then nodded, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, "You have guts."

The fourth trial point, while not the most dangerous, is not simple either.

The core of the assessment is one's own strength. The auxiliary effects of soul skills and martial souls will be suppressed, and it relies on the pure physical strength and soul power.

If you are confident, it might be a good choice.

Lu Yu smiled slightly and said nothing more.

He was confident in his own strength; whether it was physical strength or control of soul power, he was no less than any other soul master of the same level.

Although Chen Zitai's reminder was helpful, he trusted his own judgment more.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen Zitai took his leave. Before leaving, he patted Lu Yu on the shoulder and reminded him, "Be careful, don't be careless."

In the Trial City, strength speaks for itself, but you also need to be quick-witted.

As Lu Yu watched Chen Zitai depart, he felt a growing fondness for this forthright Eastern Region Soul Master.

He gathered his thoughts and turned to walk towards the fourth trial point.

At the end of the street, a huge stone gate looms in the stone wall, its surface engraved with intricate soul patterns, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

That is the entrance to the fourth trial point.

The next morning, Lu Yu arrived at the entrance to the fourth trial point early.

The entrance is a rather large cave opening, with obscure and difficult-to-understand characters carved on both sides of the cave walls, vaguely exuding a strange power.

Behind the cave entrance, a huge portrait could be faintly seen. It appeared to depict a ferocious spirit beast, but due to the dim light, the details were difficult to discern.

Lu Yu stood in front of the cave entrance, his gaze calmly sweeping over the surroundings.

There were already seven Soul Masters present, each occupying a corner and maintaining a distance from each other. Lu Yu's gaze swept over them one by one, and he quickly noticed two dark-skinned Soul Masters and one fair-skinned Soul Master.

The two dark-skinned Soul Masters were burly and had skin as black as ink, with undisguised arrogance in their eyes.

The pale-skinned Soul Master was thin and pale to the point of being sickly. He had a cold smile on his lips and his gaze would occasionally sweep over the other Soul Masters with obvious provocation.

The other four Soul Masters appeared to be more ordinary, dressed simply, and their expressions showed a hint of nervousness.

Just as Lu Yu was observing the crowd, the white-skinned Soul Master suddenly sneered and said, "A bunch of overconfident trash, you dare to try to break into the fourth trial point? Hmph, within a few minutes, you probably won't even be able to save your lives."

His voice was sharp and shrill, filled with disdain, and his gaze swept over everyone present as if he were scrutinizing a group of ants.

The atmosphere immediately froze upon hearing this.

The ordinary soul masters looked grim, but none of them dared to utter a word of rebuttal.

Lu Yu frowned, thinking to himself that this person was arrogant, but he ignored him and simply stood quietly in place, waiting for the trial to begin.

Seeing that no one responded, the white-skinned Soul Master became even more smug, snorted coldly, and took the lead in walking towards the entrance.

"A bunch of useless trash, less talented than me, they deserve to die in the trials."

Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped into the cave entrance.

The moment he entered, a dark blue crack suddenly tore open in the space at the entrance of the cave, enveloping and sucking him in.

At the same time, a deep voice came from inside the trial site, resounding in the ears of every Soul Master.

"The fourth trial point has begun."

Those who enter will be separated by a barrier, preventing them from interfering with each other.

However, if one is strong enough, one can break through the barrier and enter the trial area of ​​others.

In this trial, you bear the consequences of your actions.

Upon hearing this, the Soul Masters present reacted with varying expressions.

A hint of unease flashed in the eyes of several ordinary Soul Masters, clearly showing their fear of death.

These four words are quite dreaded.

The two dark-skinned Soul Masters sneered repeatedly, one of them even saying, "Hmph, a barrier? As long as you're strong enough, what's wrong with breaking it? If we encounter weaklings like you in the trials, we'll cripple you!"

These words were clearly directed at the other Soul Masters present. The faces of the ordinary Soul Masters grew increasingly grim, yet none of them dared to utter a word in rebuttal.

Lu Yu stood aside, his gaze indifferent, completely ignoring the dark-skinned soul master's provocation.

He was about to step towards the entrance when he heard an angry voice behind him.

"Stop! Who told you to leave?"

A dark-skinned Soul Master strode forward, blocking Lu Yu's path, his eyes blazing with anger. "Boy, what did you mean by that look just now? Were you looking down on me?"

Lu Yu stopped, slowly raised his head, and looked calmly at the other person.

He remained silent, simply gazing at the dark-skinned Soul Master with a calm expression.

The dark-skinned soul master felt uncomfortable under Lu Yu's gaze, and his anger intensified. He suddenly threw a punch, aiming straight for Lu Yu's chest.

"court death!"

The dark-skinned Soul Master roared, his fist surging with Soul Power, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind.

However, just as the fist was about to touch Lu Yu, an invisible force suddenly erupted.

The dark-skinned Soul Master felt a tremendous force coming towards him. Before his fist could even touch Lu Yu, he was forcibly shaken away, staggering back several steps, his eyes filled with shock.

"you……"

The dark-skinned Soul Master gritted his teeth, suppressing his shock, and argued, "I only used 60% of my strength just now! Let's try again!"

He roared and lunged forward again, this time channeling his soul power to its limit. The wind from his punch howled, and the roar of a soul beast could be faintly heard.

Lu Yu sneered, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, "Overestimating yourself."

Without moving, he simply raised his hand, and a terrifying force erupted from his palm, like an invisible giant wave, sending the dark-skinned soul master flying.

The dark-skinned Soul Master screamed and crashed heavily to the ground. His right arm was in excruciating pain, as if the bones had been broken and he had completely lost his strength.

"You dare to cripple my arm!"

The dark-skinned Soul Master struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with resentment and venom, and roared.

Lu Yu slowly stepped forward, a long sword that had appeared in his hand at some point. The blade gleamed with a cold light and carried a chilling killing intent.

He pressed the tip of his sword against the dark-skinned Soul Master's throat, the blade gently piercing the skin, and a drop of blood slowly slid down.

Lu Yu's voice was cold and deep, "If you dare to say another word, I'll kill you."

The dark-skinned Soul Master felt an intense sense of death looming over him, and Lu Yu's gaze was like a knife, as if it could pierce his soul directly.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, his lips trembled, but he dared not utter another word.

The surrounding Soul Masters were already stunned.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in the eyes of several ordinary soul masters, and one of them even sneered in a low voice, "Weren't you so arrogant just now? Why are you speechless now?"

They didn't linger any longer and headed towards the entrance to the trial, clearly unwilling to miss their chance to enter.

Another dark-skinned Soul Master stood to the side, his face ashen.

He glared at Lu Yu and whispered, "Kid, you just wait."

If we meet again in the trials, I'll make you pay!

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the entrance, his back view carrying a hint of resentment.

Lu Yu sheathed his longsword, his gaze calmly sweeping across the cave entrance, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

He straightened his robes and stepped into the entrance of the fourth trial point.

A ghostly blue light instantly enveloped him, the surrounding space distorted, and his figure disappeared into the depths of the cave entrance.

The wind still blew through the Trial City, and under the gray fog-shrouded sky, the entrance to the fourth trial point returned to calm.

However, an invisible chill seemed to have settled over the air.

Lu Yu stood at the starting point of the power-type entrance, the ground beneath his feet seemingly cast from some ancient and hard rock, exuding a cold touch.

A heavy sense of oppression filled the air, as if invisible boulders were pressing in from all directions, causing his shoulders to sag slightly and making it difficult to breathe.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest, and every step forward felt like going against a gale, with every muscle in his body resisting this invisible weight.

He looked down at his hands, his palms slightly sweaty. The soul power of an 82-level Soul Douluo was slowly circulating within his body, but it still couldn't completely counteract the oppressive feeling.

He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "If it weren't for all these years of hard work in building my physique, I probably wouldn't even be able to get through this entrance."

The scene inside the entrance is mysterious and eerie. The walls on both sides are a deep black, with a smooth, mirror-like surface, yet they also subtly reveal a texture that seems to devour light.

Occasionally, a dark red pattern would flash across the wall, like the fleeting afterimage of some ancient rune.

In the center of the passage, wisps of mist drifted slowly, accompanied by a distant rumbling sound, as if a giant beast was roaring in the abyss.

Lu Yu's gaze pierced through the fog, trying to make out the scene ahead, but the fog was so thick that he could only vaguely make out a more open space at the end of the passage.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his unease, and strode forward. (End of Chapter)